Bridger Teton Avalanche Center

Quick recovery is key to avalanche survival. Experts say that 93 percent of avalanche victims can be recovered alive if they are dug out within the first 15 minutes, but after that, the likelihood of survival declines drastically. That’s why wearing avalanche beacons and knowing how to use them is an absolute must for backcountry enthusiasts.

Avalanche season in Wyoming has begun, and the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center in Jackson raised the avalanche risk from low to moderate on Thursday afternoon.

Bob Comey, director of the avalanche center, says that early snow in September followed by dry, warmer weather in October has contributed to avalanche conditions. That warmer weather melted some, but not all of the early snow.

“It has become what we call a persistent weak layer, that has since been covered by quite a bit of new snow that fell in late October and early November,” Comey says.

The Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center has raised the risk of avalanches to “considerable” for areas above 9,000 feet.

The Center’s Mike Rheam says that means naturally occurring avalanches are possible, and human-triggered avalanches are likely. Rheam says there’s a two-foot slab of new snow at high elevations in western Wyoming, which could give way easily.